Andrewes

1THE PLEADING.

2[I.] ON GOD'S PART.

3[1.] The Nature of God.

4Because the Lord is full of compassion and mercy, long-suffering, and

5of great goodness;

6He will not alway be chiding, neither keepeth He His anger

7for ever.

8He hath not dealt with us after our sins,

9nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

10For as the heaven is high above the earth, so greatly hath He set

11His mercy over them that fear Him.

12As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He set from us

13our iniquities.

14Like as a father pitieth his children, so is the Lord merciful

15unto them that fear Him.[Ps. 103:8–12]i

16Because He is gracious, and gentle, and of great mercy unto all

17that call upon Him.[Ps. 86:5]ii

18The Lord is loving unto every man, and His mercy is over

19all His works.[Ps. 145:9]iii

20Because He delighteth in mercy.[Mic. 7:18]iv

21He is the Father of mercies.[2 Cor. 1:3]v

22He is Mercy itself.[Ps. 59:17]vi

23To whom { to shew mercy is His proper work, / to punish His strange and alien work. }[Isa. 28:21]vii

24[2.] The Name of God.

25Let the power of the Lord be magnified, according as He proclaimed, saying,

1The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, taking away

2iniquity and transgression.[Num. 14:17,18]i

3[3.] The Name of the Father.ii

4I ascend unto My Father,

5and your Father.[John 20:17]iii

6The Father of the prodigal son.[Luke 15:20]

7And what wilt Thou do unto Thy great Name?[Josh. 7:9]iv

8[4.] The Name of Christ.

9The Lamb, in figure.Behold the Lamb of God![John 1:29]v

10Redeemer.I know that my Redeemer liveth.[Job 19:25]vi

11Saviour.We know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.[John 4:42]vii

12Mediator.One Mediator between God and men.[1 Tim. 2:5]

13Advocate.We have an Advocate with the Father.[1 John 2:1]viii

14Intercessor.[Heb. 7:25]ix

15High Priest.[v. 26]

16[5.] The Name of the Holy Spirit.

17The Dove, in figure.He saw the Spirit of God descending

18like a dove.[Matt. 3:16]x

19The Ointment, or Unction.As the Unction teacheth you.[1 John 2:27]

20Comforter.If I go not away, the Paraclete will not come.[John 16:7]

21[6.] The Promise of God.

22Remember Thy word unto Thy servant, wherein Thou hast caused me

23to put my trust,[Ps. 119:49]xi

24Which God, that cannot lie, hath promised,[Titus 1:2]xii

25confirming it by an oath,[Heb. 6:17]xiii

1Whose faithfulness the unbelief of men

2shall not make void.[Rom. 3:3]i

3For if we believe not, yet He abideth faithful, He cannot

4deny Himself.[2 Tim. 2:13]ii

5[7.] The Practice of God.

6Our fathers hoped in Thee; they trusted, and Thou didst deliver

7them.[Ps. 22:4]iii

8Call to remembrance, O Lord, Thy tender mercies, and Thy

9loving-kindnesses, which have been ever of old.[Ps. 25:5]iv

10Where are Thine old loving-kindnesses, O Lord?[Ps. 89:48]v

11Look, my children, at the generations of men, and know that never any

12hoped in the Lord, and was confounded.[Ecclus. 2:11]vi

13For who ever continued in His commandments, and was

14forsaken?[v. 12]

15THE PLEADING.

16[II.] ON OUR PART, IN RELATION TO GOD.

17[1.] The Work and Creation of His Hands.

18Despise not the work of Thine own hands.[Ps. 138:8]vii

19We are the clay, and Thou our potter, and we all are the work of

20Thy hands.[Isa. 64:8]viii

21Thou hatest nothing that Thou hast made.[Wisd. 11:25]ix

22[2.] The Image of Thy Face.Blot it not out.

23Let us make man after the image,

24and likeness of Ourselves.[Gen. 1:26]x

1Which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of Him

2that created him.[Col. 3:10]i

3[3.] The Price of Thy Blood.Set it not at nought.

4Ye are bought with a great price,[1 Cor. 6:20]ii

5With the precious blood of the Lamb without blemish,

6and without spot.[1 Pet. 1:19]iii

7[4.] The Invocation of Thy Name.(Passively borne.)

8Despise not the mark [Thou hast set],

9Thy Name is called upon us.[Jer. 14:9]iv

10For Thy Name is called upon Thy people.[Dan. 9:19]v

11A vessel, to bear Thy Name.[Acts 9:15]vi

12[5.] A Member of the Body of Christ.Cut it not off.

13Ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.[1 Cor. 12:27]

14Know ye not, that your bodies are the members of Christ?[1 Cor. 6:15]vii

15Know ye not, that your members are the temple of

16the Holy Ghost, which is in you?[v. 19]

17[6.] A Possession in Christ.

18I am Thine, O save me.[Ps. 119:94]viii

19Behold, O Lord, for I am Thy servant,

20I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid.[Ps. 116:16]ix

21We all are Thy people.[Isa. 64:9]

22Carest Thou not that we perish?Nay, Thou carest.[Mark 4:38]x

23An unprofitable servant, yet a servant.[Luke 17:10]xi

24A lost son, yet a son.[Luke 15:24]xii

1THE PLEADING.

2[III.] ON OUR PART, AS CONCERNS OURSELVES.

3[1.] The Weakness of Nature.

4For I am weak.[Ps. 6:2]i

5Remember how short my time is.[Ps. 89:47]ii

6And He remembered that they were but flesh,

7a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.[Ps. 78:39]iii

8For He knoweth whereof we are made,

9He remembereth that we are but dust.[Ps. 103:14]iv

10Man is but as grass:

11his days, as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.[v. 15]

12For the wind goeth over it, and it is gone,

13and the place thereof shall know it no more.[v. 16]

14[2.] The Misery of our Condition.

15We are brought very low.[Ps. 79:8]v

16And He saw when they were in adversity,

17and heard their prayer.[Ps. 106:44]vi

18[IV.] ON OUR PART, AS CONCERNS OUR DUTY.

19[1.] As penitent.

20Because a broken and a contrite heart,

21O God, Thou wilt not despise.[Ps. 51:17]vii

22For I will confess my wickedness,

23and be sorry for my sin.[Ps. 38:18]viii

1[2.] As suppliant.

2For I have called daily upon Thee.[Ps. 86:3]i

3How long wilt Thou be angry at the prayer of Thy servant?[Ps. 80:4]ii

4I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst Me.[Matt. 18:32]iii

5[3.] Because we forgive.iv

6Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven;[Luke 6:37]v

7And when ye stand praying, forgive,

8if ye have aught against any, that also

9your Father, which is in heaven, may forgive you

10your trespasses.[Mark 11:25]vi

11But if ye forgive not, neither will your Father, which is in

12heaven, forgive you your trespasses.[v. 26]

13[4.] Because we purpose amendment henceforth.

14My soul hath longed to desire

15Thy judgments at all times.[Ps. 119:20]vii

16My hands will I lift up unto Thy commandments, which I have loved.[v. 48]

17I have sworn, and am stedfastly purposed, to keep Thy commandments.[v. 60]

18Who desire to fear Thy Name.[Neh. 1:11]viii

19The servant shall be beaten who neither prepared himself,

20nor did.[Luke 12:47]ix

21[V.] ON THE PART OF THE EVIL THAT WOULD FOLLOW.

22[1.] *No profit [to God].*

23What profit is there in my blood, when

24I go down to corruption?

25Shall the dust give thanks unto Thee,

1or declare Thy truth?[Ps. 30:9]i

2For in death no man remembereth Thee; in the

3grave who shall give Thee thanks?[Ps. 6:5]ii

4Wilt Thou shew wonders to the dead?

5Or shall the dead rise up again, and praise Thee?[Ps. 88:10]iii

6Shall any tell of Thy loving-kindness in the grave,

7or of Thy truth

8in destruction?[v. 11]

9Shall Thy wondrous works be known in the dark, and Thy

10righteousness in the land where all things are forgotten?[v. 12]

11For the grave cannot praise Thee, neither shall death celebrate

12Thee.They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy

13truth.[Isa. 38:18]iv

14The living, the living, he shall praise Thee.[v. 19]

15[2.] In vain.

16Hast Thou made all men for nought?[Ps. 89:46]v

17Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight

18shall no man living

19be justified.[Ps. 143:2]vi

20If Thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark iniquities, O Lord, who may

21abide it?[Ps. 130:3]vii

22If He will contend with him, he cannot

23answer Him one of a thousand.[Job 9:3]viii

24[3.] The Triumph of the Enemy.

25Give not Thine heritage to reproach,

26that the heathen should rule over it.Wherefore should they say among the peoples,

27Where is now their God?[Joel 2:17]ix

1Remember this: the enemy hath reproached

2the Lord, and the foolish people hath blasphemed

3Thy Name.[Ps. 74:18]i

4The pride of them that hate Thee increaseth ever more and more.[v. 23]

5The Egyptians shall say: For mischief did He bring them out,[Exod. 32:12]ii

6to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the earth.

7The Canaanites shall say: He was not able to bring the people into

8the land which He sware unto them,

9therefore He slew them in the wilderness.[Num. 14:16]iii

10[VI.] ON THE PART OF THE GOOD THAT WOULD FOLLOW.

11[1.] The Glory of Thy Name.

12For the glory of Thy Name, O Lord,

13Deliver us.[Ps. 79:9]iv

14So we that are Thy people will give Thee thanks for ever:

15From generation to generation

16we will shew forth Thy praise.[v. 13]

17[2.] The Conversion of Others.

18Then shall I teach the wicked Thy ways, and the ungodly

19shall be converted unto Thee.[Ps. 51:13]v

20[3.] The Example.

21But for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first

22Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a

23pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him unto life

24everlasting.[1 Tim. 1:16]vi

1[4.] God Himself.

2I, even I, am He that blotteth out iniquities for Mine own sake.[Isa. 43:25]i

3Hear, attend, defer not,

4for Thine own sake.[Dan. 9:19]ii

5Even He whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation.[Rom. 3:25]iii

6Look upon the face of Thine Anointed.[Ps. 84:9]iv

7Turn not away the face of Thine Anointed.[Ps. 132:10]v

8[5.] From kindred.

9Have mercy on me, O Thou Son of David.[Matt. 15:22]vi

10And David said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die,

11and sware unto him.[2 Sam. 19:23]vii

12[6.] From office.

13The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me.[Isa. 61:1]viii

14The Lord hath sent Me to preach good tidings unto the meek,

15to heal the broken-hearted.[Luke 4:18]ix

16I came to call sinners.[Matt. 9:13]x

17God sent His Son, that the world through Him

18might be saved.[John 3:17]xi

19THE CONFESSION OF PRAISE.

20FOR

21*The Excellency of [His] Majesty.*

22Glorify Me, O Father, with Thine own self,

23with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.[John 17:5]xii

24Melchizedek was the priest of the most high God.[Gen. 14:18]xiii